ECHL concludes Board of Governors Pre-Season Meeting

The ECHL Board of Governors held their Pre-Season Meeting last week in St. Louis, Missouri. The following items were approved by the Board.

Changes to Goaltender’s Restricted Area

The size of the trapezoid behind the goal has been extended to seven feet outside of each goal crease and eight feet from each goal post.

Helmets

A player on the ice whose helmet comes off during play will be assessed a minor penalty unless he immediately (a) exits the playing surface or (b) puts the helmet back on with the chin strap properly fastened.

Face-offs following icing

To curb delay tactics following an icing, if the center of the offending team is not in the face-off area within five seconds, the linesman will drop the puck immediately. If the center attempts to arrive at the face-off spot just as the five seconds elapse to gain an advantage to win the face-off, he shall not be removed from the face-off. The center will be warned by the linesman that he has committed a face-off violation. In the event the center commits a second violation, or the action is the second face-off violation, a two-minute bench penalty will be assessed.

When a team commits an icing infraction, any face-off violation will not result in the center being removed. The center will be warned by the linesman that they have committed their first face-off violation and any subsequent violation will result in a bench minor penalty for delay of game – face-off violation being assessed.

About the ECHL

Began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 21 teams in 14 states for its 27th season in 2014-15. There have been 541 players who have started their career in the ECHL have gone on to play in the National Hockey League, including 29 who made their NHL debuts in the 2013-14 season. The ECHL had affiliations with 26 of the 30 NHL teams in 2013-14, marking the 17th consecutive season that the league had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com as well as on Facebook and Twitter.